St. Paul, the First Hermit (15 January): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

St Paul the First Hermit, commemorated on January 15, is honored as the first Christian hermit and one of the greatest models of contemplative, eremitical life in the history of the Church. In this reading from “The Lives of the Saints” by Father Alban Butler, we hear the remarkable account of St Paul of Thebes, who fled persecution in 3rd-century Egypt and lived nearly 90 years in complete solitude, sustained by God through prayer, penance, and miraculous providence. This profound biography recounts: The sanctification of the desert The dangers and discernment of total solitude The miraculous raven bringing daily bread The holy meeting between St Paul and St Anthony the Great The saint’s death, burial by lions, and heavenly glory A powerful meditation on contemplation vs. worldly busyness This reading is ideal for: Catholic meditation and reflection Saints of the Day devotion Traditional Catholic spirituality Hermits, monks, and contemplative vocations Listeners seeking silence, prayer, and depth “Do you call that doing nothing which is the great end God proposed to Himself in giving us a being?” 📖 Source: Butler’s Lives of the Saints 🕯️ Feast Day: January 15 ✝️ Saint: St Paul the First Hermit (†342 AD) 00:00 Introduction – St Paul the First Hermit 00:26 The Desert Sanctified by Christ and the Saints 01:09 Discernment of Solitude and the Hermit Life 01:13 Early Life in Egypt and Roman Persecution 01:45 Cruelties of the Persecutors 02:27 Flight into the Desert 02:49 The Palm Tree, Spring, and Cave 03:00 St Paul Enters the Desert at 22 03:28 Miraculous Bread from the Raven 03:45 God Reveals St Paul to St Anthony 04:19 St Anthony’s Journey into the Wilderness 05:04 The First Meeting of the Two Saints 05:20 The Raven Brings a Double Loaf 05:55 Prophecy of St Paul’s Death 06:43 St Anthony’s Vision of St Paul’s Soul 07:23 Burial by the Lions 08:07 Relics and Spread of Devotion 09:27 Portrait of the Contemplative Life 10:01 Meditation on Silence and God’s Will https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/january/st-paul-the-first-hermit/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StPaulTheHermit #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicSaints #January15 #DesertFathers #CatholicTradition #ChristianContemplation #StAnthonyTheGreat #CatholicSpirituality #HermitLife #SaintOfTheDay